to keep watch for the life of poor Jacky." The last time Mr. Churchill spoke of Naval affairs in the House he was not quite nice to Lord Fisher. Would he be nicer this time?

WINSTON ON LEAVE.

Bluejacket. "A party coming aboard, Sir, to see if the Fleet's all right."

Admiral Balfour. "What sort of party?"

Bluejacket. "Well, Sir, he's got spurs on."

I think Mr. Balfour must be something of a thought-reader. Intermingled with his narration of the varied and wonderful achievements of the Fleet, past and present, his description of the constant efforts to increase it both in ships and men, and his quietly confident prophecy that with this sure shield we might face the future in cheerful serenity, there were little sidethrusts at an imaginary critic. Some people had been silly enough to suggest that the new Board of Admiralty was so content with what had been done by "my right hon. and learned—I beg his pardon—gallant friend" that it had adopted a policy of "rest and be thankful". But there was no justification for "a certain kind of sub-acid pessimism that sometimes reaches my ears", and he must be a poor-spirited creature who, having been happy about the Navy in August, 1914, could be depressed about in March, 1916.

Then Colonel Churchill proceeded to put the cap on. He has been studying the problems of sea-power in the trenches of Flanders, and the process has led him to gloomy conclusions. Suppose the Germans have been building more ships than we have: suppose they have put into them bigger guns than we wot of; suppose they were to come out at their selected moment and found us at our average moment.... The House was beginning to be a little weary of these depressing hypotheses when it was suddenly brought up all standing by the discovery that the orator was delivering a eulogy on Lord Fisher. He was the man who got things done in a hurry. He was the man who had the driving power. They had "parted brass-rags" over Gallipoli, it was true; but by-gones were by-gones. Having been away for some months, his mind was now clear (irreverent laughter), and he had come to recognise that his former foe was the only possible First Sea Lord.

It must have been a little embarrassing for Lord Fisher to sit still and hear his praises thus chanted. But it is difficult to escape from the seat over the Clock without treading upon other people's toes, and this Lord Fisher is notoriously averse from doing. The moment, however, that Colonel Churchill had finished he left the Gallery; but before he could wholly emerge he had to suffer the further shock of being cheered by some over-enthusiastic admirers behind him. It was a pity he left so soon, for later Sir Hedworth Meux, fresh from Portsmouth, had some things to say which would not have compelled his blushes.

Wednesday, March 8th.—Members wondered yesterday why no reply to Colonel Churchill was forthcoming from the Treasury Bench. Mr. Balfour made ample amends to-day for the omission. There is something in the personality of his critic—memories of Lord Randolph, perhaps—that seems to put on extra polish on Mr. Balfour's rapier when he deals with him. Who that heard it will ever forget his inimitable description of the then Home Secretary superintending—"with a photographer"—the historic Siege of Sidney Street? This afternoon his sword-play was equally brilliant; and there was even more force behind the thrusts. If there had been delay in the progress of the new Dreadnoughts why was it? Because his right hon. predecessor had diverted the guns and gun-mountings intended for them into his new-fangled monitors. He had boasted of his own rapid shipbuilding. It had indeed been rapid—so much so that some of the vessels thus hastily constructed had now been remodelled. Coming to the proposed "remedy"—the recall of Lord Fisher to the Board of Admiralty—Mr. Balfour assumed a sterner tone. He reminded the house that Lord Fisher had been accused by his present champion of not having given him clear guidance or firm support over the Gallipoli Expedition. Colonel Churchill's present opinion of Lord Fisher was totally inconsistent with that which he had expressed a few months ago: possibly they were both remote from the truth. But it was an amazing proposition that the Government should be asked to dismiss Sir Henry Jackson, an officer who was everything that Lord Fisher according to Colonel Churchill was not. He himself would not yield an inch to such a demand.

Spontaneous debate has never been the Colonel's strong point. His oratorical engines are driven by midnight oil. Wisely, therefore, he did not attempt an elaborate réplique to Mr. Balfour's "sword-play," but contented himself with a brief restatement of his case.

Thursday, March 9th.—Prophets swarm in both Houses of Parliament, but the House of Lords is unique in possessing one who confines himself to subjects which he has at his fingers' ends and whose prophecies have a habit of coming true. What Lord Montagu of Beaulieu does not know of the petrol engine, and its use on land or sea or in the air, is not worth knowing. Seven years ago he warned his countrymen of the bomb-dropping possibilities of the new German air-ships. A little later he pointed out that it was very doubtful if dirigible balloons could be successfully attacked by gunfire from the ground, and that the only effective way of opposing them was to meet like with like. Again in 1913 he dwelt upon the inadequacy of our aerial defences.

His object to-day was not to extol his own merits as a prophet, but to get the Government to act on the motto "One Element One Service" and establish a single Ministry of the Air. Lord Haldane thought we ought to do some "violent thinking" before adopting the proposal, but quite agreed (with a reminiscent glance at the Woolsack) that we had not made sufficient use of lighter-than-air machines. That was Lord Beresford's view, too; we must oppose Zeps to Zeps. Then, having evidently done some violent thinking over the recent debate in the Commons he launched out into a wholly irrelevant attack upon Colonel Churchill for trying to create anxiety about the Fleet, and appealed to Lord Fisher (who was not present though Lord Beresford had particularly invited him) to repudiate the agitation conducted by the honourable Member for Dundee, a few newspapers and twenty sandwichmen. Lord Lansdowne subsequently noted that this most irregular digression appeared to be "not wholly distasteful" to the peers assembled. Turning to Lord Montagu's proposal he pointed out that the Government had gone some way to meet it by setting up Lord Derby's Committee. But, though prepared to see the Cabinet increased to a round couple of dozen, he was not convinced that the only way to remove imperfections was to appoint a new Minister to deal with them.

It seems probable therefore that there is no truth in the report that Colonel